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Post by dixiechicken on Aug 24, 2007 5:56:00 GMT -7
Hi all Route fans - DC here!
In constant waiting for the delivery I'd want some input from those with experience. Some of this have been discussed and touched upon in other threads as well, but here goes.
I will state up front that I have a hard time with fuzz/OD/Boost pedals - have never tried one I liked - and many sound like crap to me.
Nevertheless I know that many of you DO use this kind of pedals so I would like to know: 1) Pedals of this kind that you like and use. 2) How do you use them in your setup. 3) What are you trying to accomplish by using them, the rationale behind - if you will.
Maybe/maybe not I will find boost/od pedal I like, but I would like my opinion thereof to be as informed as possible, wich at present it is not.
Cheers: Dixiechicken
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Post by jb on Aug 24, 2007 6:10:06 GMT -7
I highly recommend the RC Booster with any amp but especially the Rt 66. It gives you a great clean boost and provides additional brightness and punch to the sound. It also gives you additional EQ to shape the tone. I leave it on all the time. For more OD, I have an AC Booster, but I find that I don't use it very much. There are probably better choices there that I would be interested in as well.
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Post by John on Aug 24, 2007 6:42:32 GMT -7
Fulltone Fulldrive II.
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Post by iggs on Aug 24, 2007 7:13:37 GMT -7
Diamond Fireburst - some say it's fuzz some say it's distortion, don't care what you call it, it sounds awesome. Very saturated wall-of-sound kinda distortion but not fuzzed out and does not get lost in the mix. Works great with Route 66 and turns it into a metal beast.
Diamond J-Drive Mk.3 - by far my favorite OD/Boost I ever tried (I spent a lot of time and $$$ trying to find "the one"). Thick, crunchy, harmonics just scream, boost side is ultra-clean and works great on it's own or stacked with the OD. I was looking for a crunchy heavy rock sound but one that will retain the natural Route 66 & guitar sound and just make it appear like there's an extra gain stage in the circuit, this pedal does it for me.
Cusack Screamer Fuzz - awesome pedal for that over the top, amp about to explode sound but still sounds huge on medium settings as well. I love it for heavy crunch and distortion.
Retroman Nü Fuzz - low gain (mine is SI) fuzz face type pedal. It's half a Sybil. Gives Route 66 extra crunch and pushes it pretty hard with the huge volume boost it has. Great for old-school leads.
Monster Effects Mastortion - I tried one with my Route 66 and now I have to have it. Not for the tame, this thing will rip your face off if it does not blow up your amp first. Heavy OD and distortion.
Xotic Effects RC booster and BB pre-amp - both great OD pedals, work very well with Route 66, RC being the more transparent and with less gain, I use mine at the end of chain, always on, for added sparkle and kicking up the signal strength a bit through the long cable. BB pre-amp sound good but I find it a bit too compressed on it's own so when you pair it up with the cranked Route 66 which compresses a lot on it's own past noon, it gets to be a bit too much.
In general, I find there are a few tricks when using OD, Fuzz and Dist pedals in general IMHO:
1) most of them will sound the best in front of a tube amp already set at the point of break-up, super clean amps with tons of headroom will make most pedals sound lifeless and well ... like a pedal
2) if your amp is at the point of breakup, it's already starting to compress so you can push it harder with the volume setting from your pedal without having a big jump in overall volume once the pedal is engaged, this is important because I find most pedals sound the best when volume is set higher then unity and then gain is set lower. Some people crank the gain and then set volume unity on the pedal ... I find that will yield a thin and buzzy sound. Short point to the long story ... crank the volume, keep gain lower, pedals will sound more natural and the amp will crunch nice and rich.
3) any Fuzz/OD/Distortion pedal is very dependent on all the other components of your signal chain ... if it's not working out, it may not be the pedal itself but something else, or maybe it's just not working out with your setup, does not mean it's a bad pedal ... just not for your setup. Case in point: everybody hails Eternity as the best OD of all time, I didn't like it when I tried it and it did not work for me at all.
4) tube amps are designed to be cranked and they sound best when pushed hard, don't expect it to sound good in your bedroom or basement with volume barely up ... regardless of the wattage, pedals, attenuators ... etc. Tubes need to cook to sound good ... period.
5) I like pedals because they give me versatility and different flavors of sound. I don't expect high-gain fuzzes and distortions to be transparent, by design they won't be but with OD and boost pedals, I like them to retain my original sound, just push it harder like an additional gain stage would.
Hope my rambling helps.
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Post by kruzty on Aug 24, 2007 7:25:42 GMT -7
I have a Box of Rock that sounds real good with the 66. If you're going to crank the 66, then you probably wouldn't need it, but if you want to set the 66 a little cleaner (not too clean ), it sounds incredible. Plust, the boost that is also on the BOR is great at hitting the EF86.
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Post by marsellus on Aug 24, 2007 13:50:51 GMT -7
I have 3 OD's on my board that I use with my Route 66.
My main one is a Klon. Very thick sound. I use it as an OD moreso than a boost.
Second is a Fulltone OCD. Bright, clear overdrive, and that's on the low-power setting.
Third is a Voodoo Labs Sparkledrive. It's nice and has a clean knob, so you can get more low or medium gain OD tones.
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Post by zdogma on Aug 24, 2007 20:56:17 GMT -7
I use a Mosfet Fulldrive 2 (at 18V), and a Mosferatu for heavier sounds. Both work very well, and I really like the way the mosfet OD's sound with this amp. I found the Fulldrive a bit bright with the majority of my amps, but it really works well with the Z 28 and Route 66.
For fuzz I use an Analogman sunface.
I find you can set them pretty high and they still sound great.
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Post by LeftyLang on Aug 26, 2007 16:28:50 GMT -7
My Fav is the Zvex SHO for boost Fulldrive 2 for a little more dirt OCD for lots of OD Fulltone 70 Fuzz for over the top stuff
I also just picked up a GT500 that sounds pretty good as well, but I have not had much time with it yet
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Post by zdogma on Aug 26, 2007 19:44:06 GMT -7
I'll be interested to hear what you think of the GT 500 with this amp.
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jcap
New Member
Posts: 11
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Post by jcap on Sept 4, 2007 14:12:35 GMT -7
I love using the Klon with this amp as it can give a nice mid boost.
The Tim also has great tone and is flexible as well. It has treble and bass and two levels of boost with a tone seperate tone control for the greater boost level.
Menatone Kar Krash also works well for a Krispy airy sound.
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bamabluesboy
Junior Member
Somewhere between the Magic City & the Rocket City.
Posts: 80
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Post by bamabluesboy on Sept 18, 2007 6:17:47 GMT -7
Latley I have been using my Fulltone Tube Tape Echo to add just a slight boost to my Route 66. It is pretty transparent. Adds just a slight amount of high end but nothing to harsh. Fattens out the tone a little too. The TTE has a 12ax7 pre-amp. You can turn your repeats & echo to minimum level and then turn the tape record level knob back to almost eliminate the delay at all. Then you can turn your input level knob to your desired amout of boost. Fulltone actually touches on this in the TTE Manual. It would be cool if the folks over at Fulltone would expand on that design & release a Fulltone tube boost or something.
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Post by jimfog on Sept 19, 2007 17:15:12 GMT -7
Just got my 2nd 66 (thanks, Bobby!)....,,was a sound I couldn't get out of my head.
Doing some playing today, it looks like with tele and strat, a Hellbilly and RC Boost are going to make a great boost/fuzz combo. The Small Fry was also great. Bad Monkey and MI CrunchBox, a little less so.............not bad, but maybe too "mid-dy" for an already mid-rich amp.
I just sold a GT-500, which was nice, but not great for a Deluxe Reverb...........wish I had kept it to try with the 66......bet it would kill.
- jim
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Post by tritone6 on Oct 2, 2007 15:18:17 GMT -7
using the keeley ts9 and java boost. sound great seperate or together.
the tim is on the way...
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Post by taswegian on Oct 2, 2007 18:31:41 GMT -7
Just got my 2nd 66 (thanks, Bobby!)....,,was a sound I couldn't get out of my head. Doing some playing today, it looks like with tele and strat, a Hellbilly and RC Boost are going to make a great boost/fuzz combo. The Small Fry was also great. Bad Monkey and MI CrunchBox, a little less so.............not bad, but maybe too "mid-dy" for an already mid-rich amp. I just sold a GT-500, which was nice, but not great for a Deluxe Reverb...........wish I had kept it to try with the 66......bet it would kill. - jim Jimfog, I have a hellbilly too. Sounds great with the 66. I use it for all my fuzz duties at the moment. The GT-500 does sound great with the 66. Especially the boost. It's really rich with the 66. Love it. The distortion side sounds great for high gain sounds but I need a little more time and tweaking to nail it. All I need now is an Ulbrick 12axe for leads and I'm set. Wish I could have the Ulbrick and the boost side of the GT-500. The 12axe is a great pedal. Hey, Robben Ford can't be wrong!
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Post by jimfog on Oct 2, 2007 18:45:08 GMT -7
Wish I could have the Ulbrick and the boost side of the GT-500. You're in luck.......apparently Fulltone is going to release both sides of the GT-500 as individual pedals. I don't know anything about the Ulbrick......I'll have to Google it. I do know that Robben Ford has been using a Zendrive, primarily............good luck getting one. cheers, jim PS....Barber Small Fry works real well w/ the 66 as well........boost all the way up to singing distortion.
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Post by taswegian on Oct 3, 2007 0:11:48 GMT -7
Wish I could have the Ulbrick and the boost side of the GT-500. I don't know anything about the Ulbrick......I'll have to Google it. I do know that Robben Ford has been using a Zendrive, primarily............good luck getting one. cheers, jim Robben took one home on his tour to Australia, along with a couple Ulbrick amps. He's getting a custom amp built at the moment. I know of 5 different people who all have the Zen Drive and the Ulbrick and they all prefer the Ulbrick. It's that good. I gotta get one before they disappear.
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Post by eyeballkidd on Oct 4, 2007 19:58:51 GMT -7
Lately my favourite pedal is the Analog Man Beano Boost. Very Mayall-era Clapton with the Route 66. I am quite surprised that nobody has mentioned it yet since it is such a good match. I also use a Sun Face for more of a Cream-era sound.
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Post by taswegian on Oct 6, 2007 5:30:37 GMT -7
Lately my favourite pedal is the Analog Man Beano Boost. Very Mayall-era Clapton with the Route 66. I am quite surprised that nobody has mentioned it yet since it is such a good match. I also use a Sun Face for more of a Cream-era sound. I'd love a Sunface with my 66. I bet they sound awesome. The 66 loves the fuzz. Betcha the Beano Boost sounds great too. I'm really digging the first channel of the GT-500 with the 66. If Fuller releases this as the FatBoost 2 which I think he is gonna do, it's worth checking out with the Route 66.
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Post by zdogma on Oct 6, 2007 19:38:39 GMT -7
Lately my favourite pedal is the Analog Man Beano Boost. Very Mayall-era Clapton with the Route 66. I am quite surprised that nobody has mentioned it yet since it is such a good match. I also use a Sun Face for more of a Cream-era sound. I'd like to try the beano boost. I love the sunface, it gets a bit over the top at high volumes, but in a very good way.
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Post by eyeballkidd on Oct 6, 2007 23:18:39 GMT -7
I love the Sun Face / Beano set-up so much that I bought a Sun Lion today for the gigs when I don't want or need to take my full pedalboard. It's not nearly a Doyle B. board but it's big enough to draw looks of disapproval from the purists on blues gigs. Now just a Sun Lion and a Keeley-modified Crybaby and I am in tone heaven with both the Route 66 and my Victoria 518.
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Post by zdogma on Oct 7, 2007 6:16:43 GMT -7
Nice amp choices. The 518 is a great little amp.
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Post by tritone6 on Oct 7, 2007 10:22:08 GMT -7
just got a paul cochrane tim off e-bay, to go with my keeley ts-9 & java boost. the tim is amazing with the rt66, really happy with that pedal, very versatile and transparant.
you guys have got me really looking at the ulbrick. after that i think i might be good on od/boost for awhile (yeah right)
i do need to fill the fuzz slot though...
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Post by eyeballkidd on Oct 7, 2007 16:14:00 GMT -7
WOW...!!! Last night I played a pseudo-restaurant gig and they didn't want us blowing people back out the door. With a Jerry Jones Neptune and the Beano-side of the Sun Lion into the 518, I got a totally happening tone with tons of sustain and harmonics at a very, very reasonable volume.
I am really curious to try a Z Mini. I love small amps but Z quit making them before I had a chance to get my hands on one. If I find one nearby (Vancouver, Seattle) I will just buy it and spend some time with it. Any Route 66 owners using one...?
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Post by taswegian on Oct 7, 2007 18:37:58 GMT -7
Yep, I have a Mini Z. Its a really fun amp. With my humbuckers it basically has no clean headroom but you can get a little rolling back with the volume at around 12. I often use it for rehearsing and it's plenty loud. Sounds pretty mean.
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Post by talaird on Oct 8, 2007 14:04:16 GMT -7
I use a Fulltone OCD, Jekyll n Hyde, and a Barber Direct Drive. They all sound great with the 66. My favorite would have to be the Barber. It just sings and has this awesome controllable feedback thing going on.
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Post by dixiechicken on Oct 13, 2007 12:15:06 GMT -7
DC here! Today I tried an OD-pedal with my Route, a "Carl Martin Hot Drive n' Boost MK3". The first OD-pedal ever I actually thought sounded good. ( is this the pedal - the Route66 - or a combo of both? ) Those of you that have suffered my complaining knows about my od-pedal hangups. The pedal has a couple of strong points - sturdily built - very quiet - no batteries to worry about. It's a clean boost pedal and an OD-pedal wrapped up in one stompbox. One input and two outputs - one clean and one dirty. The two effects can be used independently or in conjunction with each other. ( 2 on/off switches ) The price in Sweden is about 2/3 of a Fulltone. The "Hot Drive" gizmo has level and gain and wave controls. Level & gain is just what it sounds like. The Wave-control seems to control the amount of mid boost. Clockwise gives more high mids, presence & sparkle. Anti clock-wise gives more mid lows and thickness to the sound. The boost just have a level control - about 20 dB of boost - if you want it. Very clean boost. Set the Route for a cleanish sound just under or close to breaking - you can use the "Hot Drive" section to add a crunchy rock n' roll sound - up to a singing lead. I found it easy to set up and use. Set the Route up into crunch territory. Step on the boost - this really added a lot of steroids to tha amp. This I could do with the T-Rex Comp Nova as well. I really like this - the amp sounded really mean. (don't mess with me)For all of you OD-freaks out there, ;D I really think you should check this pedal out. I can easily see lots of use for it. I did try out the "Carl Martin Quattro" with my old Music Man RD-112-50W. The two OD/Dist pedal on that board - was the only thing I didn't like. I can't afford to buy the "Hot Drive n' Boost" right now. But I can easily see me doing this , "further on down the road". Cheers: Dixiechicken
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Post by tritone6 on Oct 13, 2007 12:46:26 GMT -7
hey dc- that is not the first good stuff i have heard about that pedal. i was in guitar center lookin at one the other day, and had to give it a second glance, based on some things i have read.
one thing i can tell you is play as many as you can w/the 66, caus that amp loves pedals!
i'm tryin the same thing now with mine.
best of luck- tommy
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Post by dixiechicken on Oct 16, 2007 15:36:33 GMT -7
DC here! Lo and behold I have bought myself an OD-pedal. A guaranteed first for me. I decided to keep the "Carl Martin Hot Drive n' Boost - MK3". The boost side just a clean boost 20dB:s of it. The Hot Drive side goes anywhere from just a little dirt around the edges to all out singing leads. The pedal is built like a tank, has built in regulated +-12 volt internal powersupply. ( no batterys to mess around with ) Both sides of the pedal is quiet. High impedance input and low impedance output makes it possible to use longer cables and/or drive/load other pedals with very little signal degradation. The distortion in the "Hot Drive" side actually sound to me - quite similar the distortion in the Route66 pushed over into breakup. They mix very well together. The stomp-buttons have each, a big blue led, that lights up when the effect is on. Easy to se in lighted and dimmed light conditions - aka on stage. With previous experiences ( read - try outs ) it was alwas as if trying to combine two very different types of sounds that didn't quite fit. Cheers: Dixiechicken
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Post by eyeballkidd on Feb 26, 2008 1:14:47 GMT -7
+1 for the Beano...
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